1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a bowling alley bumper system and more particularly to a system for limiting access to a gutter for a bowling ball traveling within a predetermined speed.
2. Background Art
The game of bowling has been unattractive to preteens and especially children of younger ages because they have very little control of the ball which normally rolls into the gutter before knocking down pins. Various bowling alley bumper systems have been built to keep the ball out of the gutter. Some of these systems include rails expanding out of the capping and retracting when regulation bowling is to be played. U.S. Pat. No. 5,207,422 issued to Bobby R. Beene on May 4, 1993 closes a bowling alley bumper system for guarding against throwing gutter balls. An elongated guard rail is supported alongside the gutter and can be pivotally retracted or extended between a first position in which the gutter is exposed and unguarded and a second position in which the gutter entry via bowling ball is precluded. The retractable bumper rails are extended and disposed longitudinally over gutters adjacent bed lanes so as to deflect a ball from entering the gutter.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,716 issued to Michael W. Stephens on Jan. 26, 1993 discloses a bowling alley bumper system which includes a bowling alley having a pair of gutters with longitudinally extending portions and extending and retracting means for moving these portions into a position which allows bowling balls to fall into or roll along one of the gutters. The bumper bowling system is incorporated into the bowling alley.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,900,024 issued to John Chandler on Feb. 13, 1990 discloses a bowling alley bumper system in which an elongated bumper is mounted alongside and parallel to each alley gutter, in which there are provided movable supports that permit the extension of the bumpers to guard the gutters when guarding is desired in retraction of the bumpers to expose the gutters when normal alley operation is desired. A plurality of elongated members are retractably mounted alongside and parallel to the access of a bowling alley, thereby providing permanent mounting while permitting extension for activation and retraction for deactivation, thus facilitating storage in use. The bumpers are mounted by projecting supports swivelably connected with swivels which provide connection to and support by guide members. The bumpers may be activated or inactivated without having to transport them to or away from the alley. Deployment of the bumpers between the active and inactive positions is accomplished by a manual swiveling movement of the bumpers or by motive power.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,792,136 issued to David Dulisse on Dec. 20, 1988, discloses a bowling alley having fluction means removably disposed longitudinally along both sides of a lane bed outside of gutters along the lane for deflecting a bowling ball rolled down the lane. The deflection means prevents the ball from falling into the gutters. Upright pin support members are provided at each end of the deflection means which extends along at least a portion of each side of the lane bed between a follow line and a pin deck. Each of the members is removably disposable at its lower end in a pin clamping means located below the lane bed in between the gutter and lane bed. Each of the deflection means is also removably supported substantially vertically above the lane bed by the pin members. The bowling alley serves as a conventional alley when the deflection means and the pin members are removed and as a carom bowling alley when the deflection means are supported in place.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,155 issued to Zena Sheinberg and Alex Wortman on Dec. 13, 1933 disclosed a convertible bowling alley having resilient or non-resilient deflection means removably disposed along both sides of the lane bed for preventing balls from dropping into the gutters of the bowling alley. Exemplary deflection means such as tubes, springs, and elastic bands are described being removably disposable in the gutters and conveniently storable elsewhere when removed.
Throughout the development of bowling alley bumper systems, it has been an objection to provide improvements that reside in the aesthetic enhancement of the system while reducing noise level and distraction associated with bowling alley bumper system. In addition, it has been an objective in the art to provide such bowling alley systems that are easily adaptable to existing bowling alleys.